1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to breakwaters and devices that are configured to reduce beach erosion. More particularly, the present invention pertains to devices having both shoreward and seaward moorings that are designed to dissipate the impact of sea waves on the beach, and therefore reduce erosion.
Beach erosion, while always a concern, has recently reentered the popular consciousness as a result of the recent hurricanes that devastated the east coast and gulf coast of the United States. Beach erosion can cause a substantial amount of damage to beachfront structures and can reduce the value of beachfront property. Beach erosion and displacement of sand caused by Irene and Sandy was the result of storm surge coupled with varying wave periods/frequencies. Storm surges can be accompanied by a high frequency of relatively short period waves, which traditional beachfront protections are not designed to address. When combined with the fact that a specific location for a storms landfall can often be difficult to predict, beach erosion and sand displacement due to storm surge can be difficult to combat with temporary measures.
Several different solutions are currently available to address the problem of beach erosion/asset damage due to storm surge, but they all have difficulties that ultimately make them undesirable solutions. One possible solution is for beachfront owners to simply construct a solid wall around their property. This would theoretically hold back rising water levels and break incoming waves; however this is not effective or practicable solution. It is nearly impossible to halt the surge of water around one's property with a wall because water can flow around the ends of the wall and one can only construct a wall that is so large. Also, releasing the water if it does penetrate such a structure is a consideration/drawback. Permanent walls are also aesthetically unappealing and very expensive to erect.
Another possible solution is to utilize modular concrete or plastic barriers to create temporary walls. However this solution requires a foundation plus a substantial investment of time, machinery and manpower trained to handle such devices, which may not always be available. Still yet other solutions are passive solutions or nature enhancing systems, which can be implemented in the offseason or year-round to generate protective dunes. These dunes can be augmented by planting certain vegetation or erecting sand fencing, but such systems may not be adequate to protect a beachfront property from an entire season of high energy storms.
The present invention seeks to address these problems by providing a rapidly deployable, highly effective method for attenuating wave energy on the beach caused by storm surge waters and accompanying tides, and therefore slow beach erosion. Specifically, the present invention comprises a substantially cylindrical, corrugated tube having open ends and a plurality of openings through the tube along its length. The openings comprise one of overflow openings or venturi openings. The openings allow the incoming wave to partially pass therethrough and into the tube interior. The venturi openings divert the incoming wave energy such that the water effectively swirls in the tube and moves axially therein, despite the tube orientation being parallel to the incoming wave front. The overflow openings allow the water to exit the tube when the same becomes full of seawater, therefore maintaining an open, ready state to receive a subsequent crashing wave.
Overall, the present invention provides a resilient structure that can withstand the energy imparting by crashing waves thereonto, along with a corrugated structure that allows the structure to be buoyant in higher tides. One or more tubes are secured to a beach using tethers and ground stakes, whereby the device diverts energy from crashing waves that would otherwise reach shoreward/upland or land on the beach. This attenuation of energy reduces beach erosion when one or more tubes are placed along the beach. During a storm surge the tubes are particularly effective and can be ideally deployed depending upon the type of predicted waves, maximizing the wave energy attenuation potential by “fracturing” the wave by diverting and absorbing its energy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to breakwater devices and those for reducing wave energy imparted on beachfronts. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. No devices in the prior art share the structure characteristics or qualities of the present invention, nor do they fulfill the need of reducing beach erosion in the same manner as provided herein. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,361 to Lloyd discloses a breakwater device in which a plurality of upstanding members supporting spaced-apart, non-buoyant toroidal breakwater elements in the water. The breakwater elements are immersed in the water and are aligned vertically and spaced apart in parallel to the shore. Each vertical string of breakwater elements is interconnected, whereby the entire assembly is configured to retard wave energy. While the Lloyd device provides a breakwater devices, its structure is disposed and suspended within the water. The present invention, by contrast, is related to a shore-laden structure that is positioned on the beach at the point in which waves are breaking thereonto. The present invention is buoyant and is configured to receives and disperse wave energy as it breaks onto shore.
Similar to Lloyd is U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,011 to Kann, which discloses a wave suppression system having floating cylinders in the water that include hollow interiors, perforated sidewalls, and a buoyant upper portion. The devices float in the water and reduce wave crests, thereby reducing waves crashing on the beach. Similar to Lloyd, the Kann device fails to anticipate the structure of the present invention and the method of wave energy attenuation.
Still other devices in the prior art pertain to floating assemblies that interrupt wave development and are tethered to the seafloor. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,848,419 and 4,048,802 to Bowley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,534,558 to Bouteiller. These devices are floating assemblies that disrupt and oppose wave motion, whereby the assemblies float along the surface and are tethered to the seafloor. While serving as useful breakwaters, these devices similarly fail to contemplate a structure that is positioned along a beach to attenuation and disperse wave energy as it breaks on shore. These prior art devices are related to reducing wave energy as it develops. The present invention is a solution implemented on land and in an area in which beach erosion is probable or particularly evident. The present invention directly protects the shoreline and cannot be bypassed by different wave front formations that may otherwise bypass floating assemblies.
The present invention contemplates a new and novel structure that is deployed alone or in tandem with several examples, whereby wave energy is diverted and attenuated using tubular members designed to absorb the wave as it breaks on shore. The structure of the device and method in which the device is deployed diverges significantly from the prior art, whereby the present invention is presented to meet an as-yet unfulfilled need in the art of beach erosion mitigation devices. It is submitted that the present invention provides a novel devices that substantially fulfills these needs.